Janet Jackson says she is exhausted from
touring in support of her latest album,
All for You, and that she is considering retiring from the road for good when
her
2002 tour wraps next month. "Touring is very grueling. It's very taxing on
the
body. Living out of your suitcase, going from city to city, night after night,
it's a
tough job," Jackson told the syndicated newsmagazine Extra in an interview
that
aired on Wednesday (January 23).
The 35-year-old music superstar added, "If I could find a way to do this
within a
month, two months, and hit every place that I need to go, I would definitely do
it
again. I'm trying to figure out a way to make it work for everyone in that way,
but,
if not, it may just be my last one."
Jackson's All For You tour commenced in July 2001 and she toured the U.S.
through
October. Her plans for a European tour in November and December were canceled
following the September 11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent
government-issued
warnings to international travelers. Jackson's 2002 tour kicks off at Freedom
Hall
in Louisville, Kentucky, friday (January 25). R&B singer Ginuwine has been
tapped to open for Jackson on select dates.
Jackson's current tour will wrap with the February 17 HBO concert special, Janet
Jackson: All For You: Live In Concert From Hawaii, which will feature her
performance at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The concert will be her second HBO
special--her Janet: The Velvet Rope earned an Emmy in 1998.
Jackson recently earned three nominations for the upcoming 44th annual Grammy
Awards, including best pop vocal album for All For You, best dance recording for
the title track, and best female pop vocal performance for "Someone To Call
My
Lover." The Grammy ceremony takes place February 27 at the Staples Center
in
Los Angeles and will air live on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

R. Kelly And Jay-Z Take Center Stage At New
York's Waldorf Astoria

In a scene befitting the union of two
musical icons, R. Kelly and Jay-Z met members
of the press at New York's elegant Waldorf Astoria hotel thursday (January 24).
The
two artists shared some of the details about their forthcoming collaborative
album,
The Best Of Both Worlds, which Def Jam will release domestically and Jive
Records
will issue internationally on March 26.
The press conference began with Jive Records president Barry Weiss introducing
Kevin Liles, president of Def Jam, who then introduced famed lawyer Johnnie
Cochran, much to the audience's surprise. The attorney welcomed the crowd and
brought to the stage Russell Simmons and Andre Harrell, two men credited with
planting the seeds and fostering the climate for the eventual synthesis of
R&B and
hip-hop. Harrell was instrumental in the resurgence of R&B while serving as
president
of Uptown Records in the early '90s, helping to launch the careers of Mary j.
Blige,
Jodeci and Christopher Williams. Simmons is the man behind the Def Jam brand and
the careers of Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and Slick
Rick.
Together, Simmons and Harrell explained that the union of hip-hop and R&B
was
inevitable and that, in essence, the music was the driving force behind popular
culture and the emergence of the term and culture known as "ghetto
fabulous."
Following their overture, Simmons and Harrell introduced several others who
joined them on stage in a panel format, including Sean "P. Diddy"
Combs, Ron
Isley, Kareem Burke of Roc-A-Fella Records, producer Tone of the Trackmasters,
Bishop Don Juan, and George Daniels.
After the panelists were seated, radio and club DJ Funkmaster Flex provided
previews
of "Honey" and "Get This Money," the first two singles from
The Best Of Both Worlds.
Tone, who co-produced the album with R. Kelly, shared his thoughts about the
set:
"It's definitely time to get up dance, party, shake your ass, all of that.
And you know,
they also have some positive records that, you know, tell stories about the
'hood and
the struggle, so they got a little of everything."
Guests of honor R. Kelly and Jay-Z were eventually introduced and seated. Jay-Z
explained how the pair decided to come together: "I just say, like, we had
the 'Fiesta
(Remix)' and 'Not Guilty,' you know, and doing that and hearing how those two
singles came out, we would always toss the idea back and forth. But it was just
an
idea, like, 'We can do a whole album together,' and we creative people, so
creative
people create. Just the idea of having a whole album with myself and R. Kelly,
just
to see how it would come out, was just an amazing prospect, so we put it
together,
man. We started coming up and here we are."
R. Kelly shared that The Best Of Both Worlds is not an album geared towards the
kids: "We didn't get together for the kids, you know what I'm sayin'? This
is not
Disneyland. This album is not Disneyland, so you know it up to the parents out
there--you guys out there--to train your kids and bring them up the way you
should.
I'm doing mine like that, so you guys should do yours."
The Best Of Both Worlds will feature guest appearances from Beanie Sigel, Lil'
Kim,
and Boo & Gotti. R. Kelly and Jay-Z shared that they will launch The Best Of
Both
Worlds tour in support of the album, with Jay-Z explaining that fans should
expect
one long set during the tour: "We gonna put the show together just one set,
like, it's
all the way together. It's not going to be two sets--just one long set, you
know? He
doing the songs that, you know, people love him for. I'm doing, you know, songs
from my album, and we doing songs from The Best Of Both Worlds album and we
giving people what they came to see."

Kenny Lattimore And Chante Moore Nuptials
Announced

Rumors of a romantic relationship between
Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore
have been confirmed by a spokesperson for Arista Records, Lattimore's record
label,
who announced that the couple was married on New Year's Day during a private
ceremony at the Grand Lido San Souci Resort Hotel in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
A gossip column in the February issue of Vibe magazine speculates that Moore is
pregnant.
Moore's separation and subsequent divorce from actor Kadeem Hardison became
public in 2000.
Lattimore's Arista Records debut, Weekend, was released in October. Moore's last
album, Exposed, was released on MCA Records in 2000. She is no longer signed to
MCA Records, and is featured on the Isley Brothers' hit "Contagious."

Tamia Gives Birth To A Baby Girl

R&B singer Tamia and her husband, Grant
Hill of the NBA's Orlando Magic, are
celebrating the birth of their first child, Myla Grace. The baby arrived at 9:22
a.m.
ET on Wednesday (January 23) and weighed in at seven pounds, six ounces. The
couple resides in Orlando, Florida, having married in July 1999. The
Canadian-born
Tamia's last release was 2000's gold-certified collection, A Nu Day.

Sade Live Album, Video Due Next Month

Soul vocalist Sade will on Feb. 5 release
her first Epic live album, "Lovers Live,"
which will be followed Feb. 19 by an accompanying VHS/DVD documenting
last year's tour in support of the set "Lovers Rock." Both releases
were recorded
at tour stops in Anaheim and Inglewood, Calif., with the VHS/DVD directed by
Sophie Muller, who previously worked with Sade on the videos for "King of
Sorrow"
and "By Your Side." The CD and home video are due Feb. 18
internationally.
The 13-track live album features such favorites as "Smooth Operator,"
"No Ordinary
Love," and "The Sweetest Taboo" alongside newer cuts such as
"By Your Side,"
"Sweetest Gift," and "Slave Song." The home video has nine
additional songs, with
the DVD bolstered by a photo gallery, fan messages to Sade, the aforementioned
"King of Sorrow" video, and backstage footage.
"Lovers Rock" debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and has been
certified triple
platinum for U.S. sales of 3 million copies by the Recording Industry
Association
of America.The set is up for best pop vocal album at the 44th annual Grammy
Awards, while "By Your Side" is nominated for best female pop vocal
performance.
Sade is also up for best British female at the 2002 Brit Awards.

Michael Jackson is to appear on Brandy's
new album 'Full Moon'.
Michael features on the Rodney Jerkins produced 'It's Not Worth It', a cover of
PM
Dawn's 1988 hit. Michael is returning an earlier favour, after Brandy provided
backing vocals for 'Unbreakable', a song on his 'Invincible' CD.
'Full Moon' is Brandy's first album in over three years and will be released in
March.
It also features production from Mike City (Sunshine Anderson) and a duet with
her
brother Ray J.

Mary J. Blige's 'No More Drama' To Get Four
New Songs

Mary J. Blige's fifth studio album, No More
Drama, will be reissued January 29, and
will include new cover art, two remixes, and two new songs. A remix of the title
track and current single features P. Diddy. The song is Number 20 on Billboard's
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
The album also includes a remix of "Dance For Me," featuring Common,
and two
previously unreleased songs, "Rainy Dayz," featuring Ja Rule, and
"He Think I
Don't Know."
The Ja Rule collaboration is scheduled to be the third single from Blige's
album.
In related news, Blige's tour is slated to launch February 5.